When construction began on Hamilton’s post office in August 1940, the worst of the Depression was over. Nevertheless, the building is a legacy of the New Deal, when the number of federal construction projects soared to put people to work. Montana congressman Jerry O’Connell secured the $100,000 appropriation for the combined post office and federal building as part of a bill that authorized $130 million for “emergency construction” across the United States. Constructed from a standardized plan provided by the Public Works Administration, the building has a symmetrical and dignified design. The post office expanded in 1997. To preserve this historic structure, officials placed the addition, and the new main entrance, on North Fourth Street. The original building, including the mural, Flathead War Party, remains open for viewing. Commissioned as part of a national project to employ artists and bring art to the people, the mural by Montana-born artist Henry Meloy depicts Flathead Indians preparing to attack their traditional enemies, the Blackfeet. It is one of only six Depression-era post office murals in Montana.
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